Pouring spout construction for paper containers



AINERS Dec. 25, 1956 POURING SPOUT I INVENTOR. /Vmex Cognac/NE POURING SPOUT CONSTRUCTION FOR PAPER CONTAINERS Mark Coralline, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application AugustZS, 1952, Serial No. 306,113 7 Claims. (Cl. 222-183) This invention relates to a pouring spout construction for paper containers such as milk cartons and the like. The invention is .also concerned with a carrier titted to a -cartonand provided with a handle to facilitate holding the carton d-uring the pouring of liquid therefrom.

In the particular type 4of carton to which the invention pertains, there is a duplex 'wall in the upper Aportion of the carton, the outerply of lsuch wallhaving a liftable tab adherent to the 'inner ply and adapted, when lifted, to expose an opening in the inner ply through which the contents of the carton may lbe poured. In the ordinary carton, the inner wall aperture exposed Iby the lifting of the tab is rectangular; but even if .such aperture terminates in downwardly converging margins to provide a pouring notch, the milk or other contents `wi-ll not satisfactorily pour trom such aperture in a regular stream.

According to the present invention, the inner ply ofthe duplex carton wall adjacent the dispensing opening is so cut and scored .as to provide triangular margins or wings which are readily ioldable outwardly like the wings of a dress collar, thus not only leaving :a triangular notch through which the contents are poured, but lfurther enabling fthe wings to guide the ,stream in such fashion that the ilow is smooth and in a solid Istream which does not separate into drops and from which little or no liquid dribbles down the side of thecarton at the conclusion of the pouring operation.

lIn the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of my improved carton and carrier as they appear in readiness rfor use.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the carrier only.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the upper end of the sealed carton as the carton appears when sold. i

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the tab lifted to expose the wings which lare later to be lbent outwardly as shown in Fig. 1.

To all outward appearances at the time of sale, the carton 5 is entirely conventional. Its front wall 6 merges at the top edge 7 with .an upwardly and rearwardly inclined top wall 8. These walls comprise a plurality of plies, there .being an inner ply 9 with a dispensing opening at 10 covered by the tab y1^1 yof the outer ply 1'2. The tab l1.1 marginally laps the inner ply 9 at the sides and fbelow the opening 10 and is adhered thereto, usually by means of the wax with which the cardboard is impregnated. A supplement-al tab ,13 of the inner ply may lbe laminat-ed to the tab I11 to be opened therewith to expose the opening 110, tab 13 and tab 11 being connected with the respective inner and outer plies solely at their upper ends.

lIn accordance with conventional practice, 'the lower margin of the opening 10, as exposed upon the lifting of the tab 1v1, is desirably coincident with the upper edge 7 of the iront wall y6 of the carton. As the carton is sold (4F-ig. 3), the tab 11 has a corner or yfold Iat 14 registering with the Iupper edge 7 of the front wall and the free end portion 15 of the tab extends downwardly along such United States y Patent O1 2,775,373 Patented Dec. 25,1956

F ICS wall for aconsiderable distance beneath the top edge thereof. However, the opening -12 in the outer ply is somewhat ionger than tab l11 so that the-free end portion -15 of the tab is readily accessible to 'be lifted to the position shown in Fig. 4. l

The present device differs Ifrom conventional practice in that I provide a slit at ,16 which extends downwardly in the inner ply of the front wall as shown in Fig. 4. To the lower end of this slit extend the score lines .17 and 413 which converge from the lower corners of the opening 10. Both the slit and the score lines are fully covered -by the free end portion 15 of tab =11 when the latter adheres to ply 9 at the time the carton is sold.

With tab |11 lraised and the slit v16 and score lines 17, 18 exposed in the manner shown in Fig. 4, the user can readily employ his iinger or the handle of a knife, or any other :suitable implement, to ex outwardly the triangular wings 19 and 20 lbordered by the lslit 16 and what was. formerly lthe lower margin of opening 10. This leaves a pouring not-ch -as shown in Fig. l, but II have found -it important to have the wings provide iat surfaces rather than edge surfaces adjoining the notch. Because of this, the milk .or other liquid contents of the receptacle' will ow in .a solid and unbroken stream. Without the wings, the stream is irregular and tends to rbreak up into droplets and to r-un down the Iface of the carton at the conclusion of the pouring operation.

Such cartons, particularly in the larger sizes, tend to collapse under the pressure of the operators hand if .grasped at their sides during manipulation. To enable the user to hold such a carton in one hand and to pour freely therefrom, as from a pitcher, in the manner which is accommodated `by the type of pouring opening above described, lI desirably provide a carrier 25 having a handle 26 in which the carton is interchangeably receivable rfor support Vand guidance.

The carrier is desirably skeletonized, comprising corner angles at 27, 28, 29, and -30 and a bottom .at "31 to which the angles are connected. The tops of the angles are connected :by a rectangular frame 32. IThe rear corner angles 29 and 30 .are further connected by a cross mem-ber 33. The handle 26 may conveniently be attached at its upper end to the frame 62 and at its lower end to the cross member 313. The height of the carrier is desiralaly such that the frame 32 is disposed below the pouring opening of the carton receivable therein. However, tor convenience of manipulation, the handle 26 desirably curves upwardly above frame 32, as shown, to enable the operators hand to grasp the handle at a point which is relatively high with respect to the center of Igravity of the assembly.

fIhe skeletonized carrier illustrated is closely [fitted to the particular type and -size of carton with which it is to be used so that the corners of the carton iit closely into the respective corner angles of the carrier to slide smooth-ly to and from the operative position in which the carton rests on the carrier bottom 31.

With such a carrier, maximum advantage of the pouring spout can be taken, the spout .and carrier together permitting ready manipulation of the largest carton with one hand for the accurate discharge of its contents,

I claim:

ll. 'Dhe combination with a carrier provided with a handle, of .a cardboard carton interchangeably mounted therein and provided above ysuch carrier with a wall having a dispensing aperture.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the carrier comprises a skeletonized struct-ure including a bottom, a top frame, and .angle shaped corner members connect-ing the bottom and top frame, the carton having angles complementarily ttted within such 'cor-ner members.

3. As a new 'article of manufact-ure, a skeletonized carrieriforna ,cardboard cartonof rectangular cross-section, said carrie-1- cornprising a bottom, an. upper band spaced upwardly .above the bottom, and corner angle strips complementary .to the corners of the carton receivable in .said carrier, saidycarrier :bei'ngrprovided with .athandleftfor the manipula-tionfof the ,carrier-and the cartongcomplemem tary to thesaidfcornerangles. Y f I4. Acardboard carton .comprising ra wall provided lwith wing portions initially in the plane of the Vwall kand each defined in part `by a Agenerally upright margin Aand'lby oblique score lines vdownwardly convergent, 4the wing portions being foldalble outwardly upon .the respective score lines to open la lgenerallytriangular notch in the carton Wall and to ttor-n1 ,a pouring spout for the .guidance of liquid-issuing through the notch, the nitiallyinner faces of the wing portions providing flat surfaces bordering the path ott liquid dow, whereby liquidpoured through the notch is not required Ito'flow transversely .across an edge surface.

l5. The device yof claim 4 in further combination with -an outer wall ply comprising a .ta-b `sea-led vto the wall first mentioned .and Iwholly covering .said wingportions, said tab being ldetachable tfrom the wing portions to expose them Ifor said outward folding to .form said spout.

6. As a new 4article of manufacture, a cardboard carton :for liquids having a two ply wall, the inner :wall ply having an aperture andfbeing provided vbelow llche aperture with a central slit, the said inner wall ply integrally having Wing portions .,clet'med in. partbysaid. slit ,andby the bottom margin of the aperture, the louter wall ply comprising a t-ab covering the .aperture and wing portions and having a separable connection permitting it to lbe stripped open to expose the .aperture and the wing portions, lthe wing portions being thereupon foldable outwardly upon fold lines downwardly convengent -from the aperture to the slitto form a pouringnotch .and to .providesubstantially flat face surfaces for the'g'uidance of liquid poured therethrough.

7. The device of claim -6 in which `'a portion of the inner wall p-ly `substantially till-ing the aperture and foldalbly 'connected to the inner ply above the aperture is connected to said outer ply .taJb ,to opemtherewith.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 157,222 Redgrave Nov. 24, 1874 534,7631 'Smith Feb. 26, 1895 646,518 Compton Apr. 3, 1900 1,255,990 `Doggett Feb. 12, 1918 2,025,796 Waldheim Dec. 31, .1935 2,345,97i1 Hamilton et al Apr. 4,1944 2,459,130 Jones Ian..11, 1949 2,601,399 Jones u-- June 24, 195.2 

